Kaizen is another critical concept in Lean Manufacturing. Kaizen is a Japanese term for the discipline of continuous improvement. Kaizen differs from what most companies implemented in the US as Continuous Improvement in the 90’s.

Kaizen is often linked with the word “event”, to signify a short time period. Kaizen events are often just a few days long, with a specific group of employees working on a very specific challenge. Although the implementation of Kaizen includes non-structured tools such as brainstorming, there is generally a specific structure to carrying out a Kaizen event. Once Lean Manufacturing is implemented throughout the business, Kaizen events are utilized to improve the system over time.

Kaizen is often utilized to dramatically improve results. For example, Kaizen might be utilized to reduce scrap from 9% to 5%, or in setup reduction (SMED) to reduce setup time from 30 minutes to 15.Effective implementation of Kaizen involves all employees in solving real problems that once solved improve the business.

One of the failures of some companies beginning implementation is to have too many Kaizen events going on at the same time. It is important to utilize Kaizen as a meaningful problem solving tool, and trying to solve every business issue at the same time diminishes the effectiveness of the concept.

Effective Kaizen often includes a “kickoff” from the general or plant manager, explaining to all affected employees of the upcoming events and issues. They also include a presentation to management and some type of celebration once complete.

Kaizen is one of the best concepts to really involve employees in the business and help them to feel part of the reason for the success of the business and the lean manufacturing system.

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